The Death Penalty: Pros and Cons Essay

In this paper I will be discussing everything you need to know about the death penalty such as its pros and cons. While the innocent can be killed, the death penalty has its pros because it prevents them from killing again if they are released or have escaped from prison, it helps overpopulated prisons, and it can help victims’ families get justice and closure. Not only can the innocent be killed, but in the past the death penalty was very inhumane. To some its feels right but to others they feel like 2 wrongs don’t make a right. Most people think that the defendant deserves the death penalty, but what does the defendants’ family think?

The study conducted by MSU examined jury selection as well as the decisions made by said juries. “The MSU study of capital charging and sentencing found that those who kill whites are more likely to get the death penalty than those who kill blacks. The MSU study found that a defendant is 2.6 times more likely to get the death penalty if the victim is white.” (ACLU). Following the study, North Carolina passed a law entitled the “Racial Justice Act”. This piece of legislature made it possible for inmates to appeal their sentences due to supposed racial profiling. Since the passing of the law last year, there have been 4 successful appeals. The law doesn’t guarantee that the whole sentence will be reversed; however, it puts in place a system that allows for flaws in the length/severity of the sentence to be readdressed. The passing of the law as well as the MSU study prove that although there are more minorities being charged for crimes, the charges are of ill-willed intentions.

The death penalty has been battered backwards and forwards by the questions of abolishment and replacement, with mixed results. There seems to a jagged line in the sand on where people stand, and due to the continuous use today (albeit at a slower clip than in the past), it is still very much a prevalent topic of punishment. Those who argue for it believe that taking it away will take away a great deterrent, that families find peace, and that those who commit egregious crimes deserve only death. Anything less “would fail to do justice because the penalty – presumably a long period in prison – would be grossly disproportionate to the heinousness of the crime” (“Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments,” 2016). Those who don’t believe in this punishment as a modern-day, useful tool of deterrence and punishment for crime, continuously counter these arguments, as well as any others, daily at every turn. Though many states have made it illegal, others placing moratoriums or refusals to use it, the death penalty can still be found active today. But why can’t it be replaced with life without parole, and it if can why should it?

Death is something that a lot of people think about, but do people think about the Death Penalty? Having been given the death penalty means that someone is going to be put to death by a lethal injection or an electric chair; There are more ways, but the injection and the electric chair are the most used. There are many different opinions surrounding the idea of death penalties; which some people think the death penalty should be used more and some believe the complete opposite.

Why is the death penalty so ineffective and expensive? There are multiple reasons to both questions, ranging from the trial cost and appeals or to the 153 people that have been exonerated. Theres also the declining popularity of capital punishment with only 60% of americans saying that they support it, as of 2013. Also a 2014 poll by the Washington Post and ABC News found that a majority of Americans (52%) prefer life without parole as punishment for murder, with just 42% preferring the death penalty.(“Public Opinion About the Death Penalty.” Public Opinion About the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information Center, Deathpenaltyinfo.org, deathpenaltyinfo.org/public-opinion-about-death-penalty.)

The death penalty has been a truly controversial topic in the past decade. Many different states having debates whether it is a constitutional punishment or if it violates the Eighth Amendment. There are thirty-one states that have decided that it is a just capital punishment and nineteen states have decided it contradicts the Constitution. That the death penalty violates the right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment(“Death Penalty Information Center). Although, there has been a significant decrease in the past years of people being sentenced the death penalty as states start to review the death penalty. Some state’s have also started to forbid their healthcare practitioners from taking part in the death penalty as it contradicts the Hippocratic Oath. As is the case in North Carolina, where someone who has committed a violent crime can still be sentenced to the death penalty, but because North Carolina uses the method of lethal injection they cannot execute those on death row. This is due to North Carolina healthcare professionals being barred from partaking in the death penalty. This can cause problems such as overcrowding as well as have negative effects to the prisoners, the families of the victims and on society.

The world has had the death penalty around for a long time, doing justice. Criminals who are on death row are obviously there for a reason, and it is almost always because of the crimes they have committed against the public. If we chose to let them live a life sentence out in jail, they will waste away and die as it is. The death penalty is not a crime in the world, or the country, it is a savior.

Have you ever thought of someone murdering a family member? If so would you want them to be on death row? Putting someone on death row creates another murderer which is why the death penalty should NOT be allowed.

I feel that the death penalty was and is a very effective form of punishment. The death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. I also feel that the death penalty should be practiced in all fifty states and be the punishment for more crimes.Since 1976 there has been over fourteen hundred deaths caused by the death penalty. I also feel that if we see the ability to get the punishment at lower standards such as for rappings or for harder drug cases, then we will see that the crime rate will drop. I feel that this would be worth it even though each death penalty case cost about three million dollars a piece.

In this time of life, where things have changed to a better world, it still exist massacre, what it's called death penalty. "United Stated is one of the six nations that commonly continue with this dramatic scenario" (Human Rights).Debates and political issues have been put into effect to stop this cruel and inhuman punishment. Since early years people have the belief of killing each other to solve their problem; what's the idea of slaughter if pain would not be applicable? We should keep them breathing to make them suffer the same way they cause the suffer ness of us or other people.

Since the mid 1900’s, capital punishment has brought many individuals into many diverse view points throughout the years. Capital punishment is a way of punishing a convict by killing him or her because of the crime he or she committed. Capital punishment will always have its pros and cons. There are opponents who absolutely disagree with capital punishment. And then there are advocates who support the idea. In the advocates view point, capital punishment is a way to minimize the threat in the world today. In the opponent’s point of view, opponents disagree with capital punishment, because of the high expenses it brings to the states. Also, opponents argue that capital punishment

The death penalty is both a relevant and interesting topic of discussion as it serves as both a moral and ethical question, yielding many different and opposing opinions. The topic of the death penalty is one that will produce a multitude of differing opinions, resulting in a lot of interesting debate and conversation at the discussion sections. The death penalty, specifically the use of the electric chair, has brought up a lot of debate in the US, as certain states have gone as far as to ban it altogether, whilst others practice it regularly. The death penalty can be beneficial by helping to handle the overcrowding at prison facilities, as well as providing justice to families of victims. With the continuous advancements in technology, DNA testing has become increasingly more accurate and can effectively decipher whether one is guilty or innocent to avoid executing the wrong person. However, there are many negative associations with the death penalty, many being on the issue of moral standards. Many argue that the use of the death penalty goes against the Bill of Rights violation of “Cruel and unusual punishments”, as the death penalty could be seen as both. Despite the strong moral standings against the death penalty, many are also against it because of its extremely expensive cost. Taxpayers are forced to pay several times more money to place an inmate on death row and execute them, than it would cost to keep the inmate in prison for life. Because of this, many are

In 1936 59% of Americans favored the death penalty and 38% did not. In a more recent study 47% favored the death penalty and 48% said they would rather have them sentenced to life in prison (Jones, “Support for the Death Penalty”). The death penalty is a very controversial topic that is primarily based on morals. There are many reasons why people favor it. For example and many believe if you are insane enough to murder someone you deserve it. But, there are also many reasons why people oppose it. For example, there have been innocent people sentenced to death. People are also frustrated because the money that the government uses to either kill or house a prisoner for life, comes out of their taxes. Everyone has their own story and belief on why they death penalty should or should to be legal.

or other internal beliefs that drive your thought processes, the heated argument for or against

Everyday an inmate is taken to death row, or the punishment is threatened. Consequently, over half of the United States carry out one of the five main methods of execution - the most common being lethal injection. The approximate number of states using the death penalty is thirty-one (“What’s New”) As of October 25, 2017, there were eight executions still in progress before the end of the year - twenty-one executions have already been carried out in the year 2017 (“What’s New”). Every year less death penalties take place; however, lethal injection is an unethical method, and is a practice of humiliation. The death penalty is an unconstitutional and immoral punishment that should be banned in all states as a use of penalization.